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Colombian journalists get death threats, reporter sued for defamation in Peru

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(IPI/IFEX) - VIENNA, Sept. 17, 2012 - At least 10 journalists in the northern Colombian city of Santa Marta were threatened with death after disseminating an interview in which a jailed former paramilitary commander alleged links between his organisation and local politicians, news reports said.

The commander, Jesús Gelves Albarracín, known as “El Canoso”, was interviewed on Sept. 7 by journalist Alejandro Arias for Radio Magdalena inside a Bogotá prison. During the discussion, Gelves, a former political leader of the right-wing Colombian Self-Defence Forces (AUC, according to its Spanish acronym), alleged connections between the AUC and prominent figures in Colombia's coastal Caribbean departments, including the current mayor of Santa Marta.

On Friday, according to media reports, a bundle containing multiple copies of a death threat to ten journalists was found attached to the motorcyle of Odín Vitola Lerma, an editor at Radio Magdalena. The list of names included Arias and Vitola in addition to Radio Magdalena's editor-in-chief and editors and journalists from Hoy Diaro de Magdalena and Opinión Caribe.

The authors of the death threat referred to themselves as “Office of the Caribbean” and wrote above the list of names: “Enemies deserve death so that they remain quiet forever,” according to a picture of the threat posted on Radio Magdalena's website.

While the message does not mention the interview with Gelves, Radio Magdalena pointed out that the 10 names have in common their criticism of Santa Marta mayor Carlos Caicedo Omar.

International Press Institute (IPI) Press Freedom Manager Barbara Trionfi said, “We fully condemn the death threats aimed at journalists and editors in Santa Marta, Colombia, who were doing their job of bringing issues of public interest to light. We urge police to take this threat seriously and ensure the safety of these journalists.”

IPI today also expressed concern over reports that a judge in Peru has allowed a criminal defamation case against a journalist who had reported alleged environmental violations at an agricultural factory to go ahead.

According to a statement from Peru's national journalist association (ANP, according to its Spanish acronym), Carlos Yofré López Sifuentes of Barranca.pe had covered the death of a Paramonga resident from pulmonary fibrosis, who was alleged by neighbours to have contracted the illness from inhaling chemical particles from the production of sugar cane in a Agro Industral Paramonga factory. López also referred to a ministry of agriculture report that criticised serious flaws in Agro Industrial's own environmental impact study.

Agro Industrial responded vigorously to López's report, opting to sue the journalist for aggravated defamation. According to the ANP, the company is seeking a three-year prison sentence for López, in addition to a fine of 50,000 nuevos soles (€15,000)

After the judge's decision, Barranca.pe denounced AIPSA's suit as “an intimidatory and abusive act ... corresponding to a malevolent strategy that seeks to silence any type of complaint or legitimate protest by the people.”

IPI is one of the world's leading voices opposed to criminal defamation laws. This year, IPI launched a campaign to abolish criminal defamation in the Caribbean.

Freedom Forum monitored FoE during the elections as it concerns citizens' freedom of expression through the ballot box. Therefore, any action creating an unfavourable atmosphere for the elections is also a violation of freedom of expression.

A recent HKJA survey indicates a slight rise in the Hong Kong Press Freedom Index after two consecutive years of decline. Journalists on the ground believe that the situation has worsened in 2016, compared to the year before. HKJA chairperson Sham Yee-lan explained that the slight increase in the Press Freedom Index was likely to be related to the emergence of online media, which has led to some diversity in the industry.

This report presents the findings of a three-month study focused on mapping, observing and analysing online harassment of journalists in Hungary. The study aimed to identify the types of harassment journalists are subject to, which journalists are typically harassed, who the harassers are, and how journalists cope with harassment.

Combining both violent and nonviolent methods, the Communist Party's policies are designed to curb the rapid growth of religious communities and eliminate certain beliefs and practices, while also harnessing aspects of religion that could serve the regime's political and economic interests.

Many journalists increasingly practice self-censorship, fearing retribution from security forces, military intelligence, and militant groups. Media outlets in 2016 remained under pressure to avoid reporting on or criticising human rights violations in counterterrorism operations. The Taliban and other armed groups threatened media outlets and targeted journalists and activists for their work.

Chinese authorities' enforced disappearance of critics from Hong Kong and other countries in 2016 garnered headlines globally. Beijing's decision to interfere in a politically charged court case in Hong Kong in November undermined judicial independence and the territory's autonomy. In the ethnic minority regions of Xinjiang and Tibet, Beijing continued its highly repressive rule, curtailing political activity and many peaceful expressions of ethnic and religious identity.

Bangladesh witnessed a spate of violent attacks against secular bloggers, academics, gay rights activists, foreigners, and members of religious minorities in 2016. Several laws were proposed during the year to increase restrictions on freedom of expression.

Freedom Forum observed a relatively peaceful atmosphere for the media this year (2016) with a significant decline in the number of press freedom violations. FF recorded only 25 incidents of press freedom violations during 2016 versus 83 in 2015.

Pakistan is among the countries that do not properly investigate and prosecute crimes against media professionals. Because of the near absolute level of impunity, most of the people who attack, injure or even murder media journalists in Pakistan remain free.

2016 is a highly significant year for Cambodian democracy. Looking back, 2016 marks 25 years since the conclusion of the Paris Peace Agreements (the “Paris Agreements”), which brought an end to 20 years of conflict in the Kingdom of Cambodia (“Cambodia”) and laid the framework for a political settlement based on human rights and liberal democracy; looking forward, 2016 marks the unofficial start of the lead‐up to the local and national elections in 2017 and 2018, respectively, as political actors across the spectrum begin to position themselves.

In the 27 cases of journalists murdered for their work in India since CPJ began keeping records in 1992, there have been no convictions. More than half of those killed reported regularly on corruption. The cases of Jagendra Singh, Umesh Rajput, and Akshay Singh, who died between 2011 and 2015, show how small-town journalists face greater risk in their reporting than those from larger outlets, and how India's culture of impunity is leaving the country's press vulnerable to threats and attacks

Latin America is, by far, the most dangerous region of the world for environmental human rights defenders (EHRDs). The lack of effective guarantees of human rights protection in Latin American States has created this dire situation.

Violence against journalists in Europe increased in the second quarter of 2016, reports submitted to Index on Censorship’s Mapping Media Freedom platform show, as a government crackdown in Turkey intensified and protests turned violent in countries from France to Finland.

With the environment now recognized as a major challenge for humankind, Reporters Without Borders believes that particular attention should be paid to the journalists who take greats risk to investigate sensitive, environment-related subjects. The report highlights a steady deterioration in the situation for environmental reporters, who are increasingly exposed to many kinds of pressure, threats and violence.

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